Govt issues alert against fraudulent callers spreading false information regarding Indian stock markets: Check detail

The Ministry of Telecommunications (DoT) has issued an alert on Thursday against malicious calls emanating from international numbers that are spreading false information regarding the Indian stock markets. The depeartment stated that these fraudulent calls urge Indian shareholders to sell their stocks before March 12 while warning of an 'impending' doom in the markets.

In an alert issued on social media platforms, the DoT said, "Beware of malicious calls from international numbers spreading false information about Indian stock exchanges. The recorded message urges to sell Indian stocks before March 12, claiming impending destruction of BSE and NSE."

"These are malicious calls initiated by anti-national elements aimed at causing panic," it added. 

Furthermore, the DoT has asked common people to report such calls to the National Cyber Crime portal. 

"Report any Cyber crime at National Cyber Crime portal or Call 1930. Report any such number to your Telecom Service Providers," the directive said.

Public Advisory
Beware of malicious calls from international numbers claiming to cause disruption !

Report such Numbers to Your Telecom Service Providers !!

#StaySafe #StayVigilant @AshwiniVaishnaw @devusinh @neerajmittalias @Cyberdost@PIB_India pic.twitter.com/azcPsmGHnv

— DoT India (@DoT_India) January 4, 2024

AI to drive more cyber attacks in 2024

A new report that released on Thursday has showed that the profitability and the ease with which social engineering-related cyber attacks are launched will drive an even higher volume of these incidents in 2024.  

As per data and analytics company GlobalData, a major trend in cybersecurity is the speed and adeptness with which hackers adapt their techniques to take advantage of technological advances. 

In 2023, social engineering attacks became more common and more expensive, and in the coming year, cybercriminals will be quick to innovate and expand their use of methods such as social engineering and deceptive practices used to persuade people to release sensitive or personal data for illegal purposes.

“Cybercriminals are exploiting the biggest vulnerability within any organization: humans. As progress in AI and analytics continues to advance, hackers will find more inventive and effective ways to capitalize on human weakness in areas of (mis)trust, the desire for expediency, and convenient rewards,” said Amy Larsen DeCarlo, principal analyst, Enterprise Technology and Services, at GlobalData told IANS.

Concerns about AI being exploited for malicious reasons grew in 2023, due to extraordinary advancements in fields like as generative and synthetic AI.

According to the paper, threat actors can use AI to update malware algorithms so quickly that security software fails to recognise the potential hazard associated with strategies like deepfakes.

“In 2024, enterprises contending with challenged markets will need to tighten IT budgets. This will jeopardize some cybersecurity investments at a time when organizations can't afford to not prioritize fortifying their defenses,” said DeCarlo.

(With Agency Inputs)